Obama Hits The Road To Talk Jobs, Pay Raise, Economic Opportunity

President Obama takes message of working, with or without Congress, directly to ordinary Americans

[Op-Ed]

From Denver to Austin: "The Bear is Loose" Again

Going all the way back to the early days of the campaign, whenever President Obama shook off his schedule and busted out of the bubble, we would say “The Bear is loose.”

Lately, the bear has been loose a lot and this week will be no different. The President is hitting the road on a three-day swing to Colorado and Texas where he will meet with Americans who’ve written him letters and whose stories – their challenges and successes – resonate with folks from across the country.

While Congressional Republicans continue to block votes on important issues like equal pay and the minimum wage and undertake taxpayer funded political stunts like Speaker Boehner’s plan to sue the President for doing his job, the President will continue to do everything in his power – with and without congress – to create economic opportunity for all Americans.

The day after the State of the Union, a woman named Alex received a raise, allowing her to pay rent and afford groceries without worry. Alex’s boss was inspired by the President’s call and increased her wage right away. Earlier his year, Alex wrote the President to say “thank you.”

Tonight, the President will deliver his reply in person when he meets Alex for dinner in Denver. And, tomorrow she’ll introduce the President before his remarks in Denver.

On Thursday in Austin, TX, the President will highlight the actions his Administration has taken – more than 40 since January – to benefit hardworking Americans. From helping to create new manufacturing jobs, to expanding apprenticeships and job training, and from making student loan payments more affordable, to cutting carbon pollution, the President’s used his pen and phone on behalf of folks all across the country.

We’ve come a long way since President Obama took office. Thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve made progress and there’s reason to be optimistic. Last week, our latest jobs report showed that we've undergone the fastest job growth in the United States in the first half of the year since 1999, with five consecutive months of job growth over 200,000. Yet, we know there’s still much more to do.

The President will continue to do his part – focusing on growing our economy from the middle-out, not the top-down. And he’ll continue to urge Republicans in Congress to join him in working for the folks he hears from every day – Americans like Alex, whom the leaders in Washington were sent to serve.